Page 145 of Demon Touched

His eyes widen. “No, I⁠—”

“Then there’s no need to be sorry,” I say with a smile and shrug.

He shakes his head, exhaling heavily. “I put you in danger, encouraging Lord Syrus to take you to the party.”

I raise my eyebrows a little. I didn’t know Strickland and Syrus had discussed it. Apparently, the assemblyman is having private conversations with everyone.

“I just can’t believe I was so blind about Orealia. I’ve known her for years. She helped get me elected. And to think if she’d succeeded in her plans, we might have lost the one person who could help us with the collateral…”

There it is again—the fear in his eyes, sharp and compelling. I’m sure Strickland feels bad about what happened to me, but it’s clear what’s really bothering him is the risk to the realm. He thinks I’m the solution to his collateral problems, and last night, his golden ticket was nearly yanked away from him. I don’t know what Roseingrave was planning to do with me once she’d bound me with whatever spell she was preparing, but I’m sure it wasn’t going to be good.

“I know how it important it is to fix the Dawnheart, and I’ll do my best, even if I don’t know for certain I can do anything. But…”

I think about the conversation Syrus and I just had. We’re in this together now, and that means I have to look out for him like he did for me last night. Syrus being dragged back to Infernum for punishment by the lords when his sanctuary ends will destroy my world much faster and more effectively than anything else.

“…I might need a little time,” I say, the words coming out of me in a rush.

Strickland nods. “Of course, I’ll give you time to recover from yesterday’s ordeal⁠—”

“No, it’s more than that,” I say. “Things are very tense with Lord Syrus at the moment—the other lords won’t talk to him, and the sanctuary deadline is approaching. I know he can’t rest until he comes to some agreement with them, and I—I need to be there for him,” I finish. It feels strange saying it out loud. Syrus and I have had to hide our relationship for so long that standing up for it feels liberating.

But I can tell this isn’t the answer Strickland wants, his face dropping.

“If I may ask,” he says, considering his words. “Are you planning to go to Infernum with Lord Syrus if he manages to resolve things with the other lords?”

Right, I still have to make a decision about that. But I’m trying to embrace the uncertainty, so if I’m honest with myself, I still don’t fully know the answer to that question. Syrus is my home. I love him. I’m certain of these two things. Does that mean Infernum is my home too? Maybe. And maybe I should share all of this with Syrus. It’s a radical idea, I think wryly, to be open and let him know everything I’m struggling with. For now, I give Strickland the basic truth.

“I’m not sure,” I say honestly. “It’s a little complicated with me being nephilim.”

He nods. “You know using my position to offer Lord Syrus temporary sanctuary was controversial. That’s why the Assembly has to be involved in extending his stay. But there are ways in which I could help organize for a more…permanent relocation for you both.”

I blink, trying to decipher this. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you don’t present so much of a challenge. You’re mostly Stratan by blood, and while nephilim are usually claimed by Aradis, we can legally argue that they missed their window for that when you reached adulthood as a Stratan citizen. It’s trickier with Lord Syrus, but if he opted to stay in Strata indefinitely, the other demon lords may feel differently about pursuing punishment.”

Strickland is choosing his words carefully, but I can read between the lines. For Syrus, staying in Strata permanently would mean abdicating his role. It occurs to me that now that Ajax’s runes have been broken, Syrus is no longer bound to Infernum. He doesn’t actually have to stay.

“You would help make that happen?” I ask quietly, afraid to speak the idea any louder. “What about the Assembly?”

Strickland offers me a wry smile. “When you first arrived, I had to strike a balance between helping you both and considering the needs of my realm. If I’m honest, I only advocated for you two up to a point.”

Ah, I see. Now that Strickland needs me to help with the collateral, things are different.

“Nevertheless, there are tools I could use to sway the Assembly,” Strickland continues. “Favors I could call in, and other things.”

I’ve seen—or rather, heard—the methods of persuasion Strickland means. I remember what he said about dancing with the darkness to claim our power. If he’d be willing to pull some strings, even some ugly ones, to help Syrus and me, who am I to complain?

The assemblyman leans a little closer, fixing me with a steady, sincere look. “We—all of us—deserve to feel safe, Leah. And if I can build a place in Strata like that for people who have nowhere else to turn, then I’ll be doing my job.”

“Thank you,” I say, “that means a lot. I’ll speak to Lord Syrus.”

He rises, brushing down his clothes. “I hope that setting this concern to rest will help clear your mind to consider other matters.”

I swallow and nod to show my understanding. Strickland will go the extra mile for us, but I have to put my energy into returning the favor. This was a negotiation at the end of the day, like everything else Strickland does.

I start planning a dozen different ways to broach the topic with Syrus, wondering when will be the right time, asking myself if I should consult Viz and Aster first before diving in. But Syrus doesn’t give me that chance. As soon as Strickland is gone, he’s back, asking me what happened. And I find I want to try that radical openness that occurred to me before.

“He told me that he could find a way for us to stay longer in Strata if I helped him fix the collateral,” I say.